SmartArt Graphics

SmartArt Graphics

Lesson 25: SmartArt Graphics

Introduction

SmartArt allows you to communicate information with graphics instead of just using text. There are a variety of styles to choose from, which you can use to illustrate many different types of ideas

To insert a SmartArt graphic:

Select the slide where you want the SmartArt graphic to appear.

From the Insert tab, select the SmartArt command in the Illustrations group.

Clicking the SmartArt command

A dialog box will appear. Select a category on the left, choose the desired SmartArt graphic, and click OK.

Inserting a SmartArt graphic

The SmartArt graphic will appear on the current slide.

The inserted SmartArt graphic

You can also click the Insert a SmartArt Graphic command in a placeholder to add SmartArt.

Inserting SmartArt from a placeholder

To add text to a SmartArt graphic:

Select the SmartArt graphic. The SmartArt task pane will appear to the left.

The SmartArt task pane

Enter text next to each bullet in the task pane. The text will appear in the graphic and will resize to fit inside the shape.

Adding text in the SmartArt task pane

To add a new shape, press Enter. A new bullet will appear in the task pane, and a new shape will appear in the graphic. You can delete any bullets you're not using to remove the shapes.

Adding a shape

You can also add text by clicking the desired shape and then typing. This works well if you only need to add text to a few shapes. However, for more complex SmartArt graphics working in the task pane is often faster.

To convert existing text to SmartArt:

PowerPoint makes it easy to transform traditional bullet points into an eye-catching SmartArt graphic. If you already have text on a slide, you can convert it to SmartArt. In our example below, we'll change the bullet points into SmartArt to help illustrate a process.

Right-click the list or paragraph you want to convert to SmartArt.

Hover the mouse over Convert to SmartArt, then select the desired SmartArt graphic.

Converting text to SmartArt

The text will appear as a SmartArt graphic.

The text converted to SmartArt

You can also convert SmartArt back to text. From the Design tab on the right side of the Ribbon, click the Convert command, then select Convert to Text.

Converting SmartArt to text

Changing the SmartArt organization

To add a shape:

Select the SmartArt graphic, then click the Design tab on the right side of the Ribbon.

Clicking the Design tab

Decide where you want the new shape to appear, then select an adjacentshape.

Selecting an adjacent shape

Click the Add Shape command in the Graphics group. A drop-down menu will appear.

Select Add Shape Before or Add Shape After to add a shape on the same level as the selected shape. Select Add Shape Above or Add Shape Below to add a shape above or below the selected shape.

Adding a shape

The new shape will appear.

The newly added shape

To promote or demote shapes:

Select the SmartArt graphic, then click the Design tab on the right side of the Ribbon.

Clicking the Design tab

Select the shape you want to promote or demote. In our example, we'll demote a shape.

Selecting a shape to demote

To move the shape to a higher level, click the Promote command in the Create Graphic group. To move it to a lower level, click Demote.

Clicking the Demote command

The shape will move one level higher or lower.

The demoted shape

You can also demote and promote shapes from within the task pane. With the insertion point in the task pane, press the Tab key to demote a shape. Press the Backspace key (or Shift+Tab) to promote a shape. It's a lot like creating an outline with a multilevel list. For more information, you may want to review our lesson on Indents and Line Spacing.

To rearrange shapes on the same level:

Select the SmartArt graphic, then click the Design tab.

Select the shape you want to move.

Selecting a shape to move

In the Create Graphic group, click Move Up or Move Down.

Clicking Move Up

The shape will move to a new location on the same level, and any shapes nested below it will also move.

The moved shape

Customizing SmartArt

After inserting SmartArt, there are several things you might want to change about its appearance. Whenever you select a SmartArt graphic, the Design and Format tabs will appear on the right side of the Ribbon. From there, it's easy to edit the style and layout of a SmartArt graphic.

To customize SmartArt

PowerPoint provides a variety of color schemes to use with SmartArt. To change the colors, simply select the SmartArt, click the Change Colors command, and choose the desired colors from the drop-down menu.

Changing the SmartArt color scheme

Color schemes use theme colors, so they will vary depending on which theme you are using. Visit our lesson on Modifying Themes to learn more about changing and customizing themes in PowerPoint 2013.

Changing the SmartArt colors by selecting a new Theme

PowerPoint also includes several SmartArt styles, which allow you to quickly modify the look and feel of your SmartArt. To change the style, select the desired style from the SmartArt styles group.

Changing the SmartArt style

You can add shapeeffects to your SmartArt, such as beveling and 3D rotation. Select the entire SmartArt graphic by clicking the border, select the Format tab, and choose the desired Shape Effects. You can also click an individual shape to customize it separately.

Modifying the SmartArt Shape Effects

To change the SmartArt layout:

If you don't like the way your information is organized within a SmartArt graphic, you can always change its layout to better fit your content.

Select the SmartArt graphic, then select the Design tab.

In the Layouts group, click the drop-down arrow.

Clicking the drop-down arrow

Select the desired layout or click More Layouts... to see even more SmartArt options.

Selecting a SmartArt layout

The selected layout will appear.

The new SmartArt layout

If the new layout is too different from the original, some of your text may not show up. Before deciding on a new layout, check carefully to make sure no important information will be lost.